BE THE CHANGE!

In today’s world of education, each student is seen competing with other to reach the apex. Who is to be blamed? Are our teachers playing their necessary role in being multi-faceted? Or is our medium of education being more competitive then co-operative? This Teachers' Day, let's rethink education

Author Alexandra Trenfor once said, “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see.” In saying this, she elucidated the essence of a teacher as being a ‘guide’ and a ‘facilitator’ for learning.

In 21st century India, there are too many institutes of learning that function in a manner of ‘dictatorship’, literally forcing young students into mundane boxes of right and wrong by telling them exactly ‘what they can or cannot think’ and hardly ever guiding them about ‘how’ to think.

As famous science writer Roger Lewin, said, “Too often, we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.” A perfect example of this is in the schools of today where a teacher instead of asking students to solve problems or find out answers to questions, actually tells them what to mark in the textbook and learn answers to the given question.

To counter this, one would opine that today's classrooms have way too many children who hardly complete tasks assigned to them, teachers are burdened with enormous syllabi due to which they cannot afford the time to allow children to ‘think’. But in turn we seem to be breeding a nation of people who are conformist and uninventive, dissuading creators, inventors and thinkers, who are what the world really needs!

This was reiterated by mathematician and pioneer of artificial intelligence Seymour Papert, who said, “The role of the teacher is to create the conditions for invention, rather than provide readymade knowledge.”

Read the full article in 'Viva Goa' magazine copy.Viva Goa magazine is now on stands. Available at all major book stalls and supermarkets in Goa.